Buffalo Bills Sign Mario Williams [VIDEO]

Today was a great day to be a Buffalo Bills fan. That's not always the case. But today, the Bills front office found a way to land one of the most sought after free agents in the league aside from Peyton Manning. In order to do that they parted with quite a bit of cash. But nonetheless, they got the deal done and have made their team better by doing so.

If you're like me and you're a big Bills fan then the last couple days could have been some of the most excruciating days of your life as we waited three days to find out if we had landed an incredible pass rusher through free agency. It was hard to wait as Mario Williams did his homework about Buffalo. Over the course of those three days Williams met with members of the Bills' front office including GM Buddy Nix, CEO Russ Brandon, and coach Chan Gailey. He met with some of the current Bills and their families and finally decided that Buffalo was the place for him and his fiance.

For those who have always thought that Ralph Wilson was "too cheap" to sign a contract worthy of a top free agent, think again. According to James Walker of ESPN, Williams inked a deal where he'll receive $25 million in the first year of the contract and $53 million total in the first three years of the deal. It's a contract that will make him the highest paid defensive player in the league. The total contract is worth up to $100 million.

For me, this wasn't even all about the player. Granted, it was nice to imagine a guy with 53 sacks under his belt on our team but part of this was also about pride. I didn't want this guy to come to Buffalo, look around and say that it wasn't what he was looking for. I love Western New York. I love Buffalo and it's hard to hear people talk bad about us when it comes to our sports. We have to be able to rebuild somewhere and this might just be the moment where we do that. Even some of the commentators on ESPN today seemed to think that this might just be what turns this franchise around.

Thank you Mario for choosing to give us a chance as fans. Thank you for choosing to light the torch here rather than to carry someone else's. With a paycheck like that, you're going to have some high expectations. I can't wait for this season. Is it September yet?